A Year Of Theosophy

The dial of Time marks off another of the
world's Hours. . . . And, as the Old Year passes into Eternity, like
a rain-drop falling into the ocean, its vacant place on the calendar
is occupied by a successor which  if one may credit the ancient
prophetic warnings of Mother Shipton and other seers  is to bring
woe and disaster to some portions of the world. Let it go, with
its joys and triumphs, its badness and bitterness, if it but leave
behind for our instruction the memory of our experience and the
lesson of our mistakes. Wise is he who lets "the dead Past
bury its dead," and turns with courage to meet the fresher
duties of the New Year; only the weak and foolish bemoan the irrevocable.
It will be well to take a brief retrospect of those incidents
of the year 1880 (A.D.) which possess an interest for members
of the Theosophical Society. The more so since, in consequence
of the absence from Bombay of the President and Corresponding
Secretary, the anniversary day of the Society was not publicly celebrated.

It will not be necessary to enter minutely into those details
of administration which, however important in themselves as links,
weak or strong, in the general chain of progress, and however
they may have taxed the patience, nerve, or other resources of
the chief officers. do not at all interest the public. It is not
so much explanation as results that are demanded, and these,
in our case, abound. Even our worst enemy would be forced to admit,
were he to look closely into our transactions, that the Society
is immeasurably stronger morally, numerically, and as regards
a capacity for future usefulness, than it was a year ago. Its
name has become most widely known; its fellowship has been enriched
by the accession of some very distinguished men; it has planted
new branch societies in India, Ceylon and elsewhere; applications
are now pending for the organization of still other branches,
in New South Wales, Sydney, California. India, Australia; its
magazine has successfully entered the second volume; its local
issues with the government of India have been finally and creditably
settled; a mischievous attempt by a handful of malcontents at
Bombay to disrupt it has miserably failed.1 It has
made official alliances with the Sanskrit Samaj of Benares, that
is to say, with the most distinguished body of orthodox Sanskrit
pandits in the world, with the other Sabha of which Pandit Rama
Misra Shastri is Manager, and with the Hindu Sabha, of Cochin
State; while, at the same time, strengthening its fraternal relations
with the Arya Samajas of the Punjab and North-Western Provinces.
Besides all this, we can point with joy and pride to the results
of the late mission to Ceylon, where, within the space of fifty-seven
days, seven branch societies of Buddhist laymen, one Ecclesiastical
Council of Buddhist priests, and one scientific society were organized,
and some hundreds of new fellows were added to our list.

All this work could not be accomplished without great labour,
mental anxiety and physical discomfort. If to this be added the
burden of a correspondence with many different countries, and
the time required for making two journeys to Northern India and
one to Ceylon, our friends at a distance will see that whatever
other blame may properly attach to the Founders, who have never
claimed infallibility of any sort, that of laziness is assuredly
not to be cast in their teeth. Nor, when they learn that the work
done since leaving America, the travelling expenses and the fitting
and maintenance of the Headquarters establishment has cost some
twenty thousand rupees, while the cash receipts of the Treasurer
(exclusive of those from Ceylon, Rs. 2,440, which sum is set aside
as a special fund to be used in the interest of Buddhism) have
been only one thousand two hundred and forty rupees, all
told, including one donation of two hundred rupees from the universally
respected Maharanee Surnomoyee, and another of twenty rupees from
a well-wisher in Bengal, will those who direct the Society's affairs
be regarded by them as making money out of their offices. And
these figures, which may most readily be verified, are our only
answer to the calumnies which have been maliciously circulated
by some who did not, and others who did, know the truth.

The trip to Ceylon occupied seventy-seven days in all, the second
one to Northern India one hundred and twenty-five days. Thus the
Founders have been absent from Bombay on duty twenty-nine weeks
out of the fifty-two; their travels extending through twenty-five
degrees of latitude, from Lahore at the extreme north of India,
to Matara, the southernmost point of ancient Lanka. Each of the
Indian Presidencies has contributed a quota of new members; and
at the former capital of the late lion-hearted Runjeet Singh,
a branch was recently organized by Sikhs and Punjabis, under the
title of the "Punjab Theosophical Society." During the
twelvemonth, President Olcott delivered seventy-nine lectures
and addresses, a majority of which were interpreted in the Hindi,
Urdu, Guzerati and Sinhalese languages.

Many misconceptions prevail as to the nature and objects of the
Theosophical Society. Some  Sir Richard Temple in the number  fancy
it is a religious sect; many believe it is composed of atheists;
a third party are convinced that its sole object is the study
of occult science and the initiation of green hands into the Sacred
Mysteries. If we have had one we certainly have had a hundred
intimations from strangers that they were ready to join at once
if they could be sure that they would shortly be endowed with
siddhis, or the power to work occult phenomena. The beginning
of a new year is a suitable time to make one more attempt  we
wish it could be the last  to set these errors right. So then,
let us say again: (1) The Theosophical Society teaches no new
religion, aims to destroy no old one, promulgates no creed of
its own, follows no religious leader, and, distinctly and emphatically,
is not a sect, nor ever was one. It admits worthy people
of any religion to membership, on the condition of mutual tolerance
and mutual help to discover truth. The Founders have never consented
to be taken as religious leaders, they repudiate any such idea,
and they have not taken and will not take disciples. (2) The Society
is not composed of atheists, nor is it any more conducted in the
interest of atheism than in that of deism or polytheism. It has
members of almost every religion, and is on equally fraternal
terms with each and all. (3) Not a majority, nor even a respectable
minority, numerically speaking, of its fellows are students of
occult science or ever expect to become adepts. All who cared
for the information have been told what sacrifices are necessary
in order to gain the higher knowledge, and few are in a position
to make one tenth of them. He who joins our Society gains no siddhis
by that act, nor is there any certainty that he will even see
the phenomena, let alone meet with an adept. Some have enjoyed
both these opportunities, and so the possibility of the phenomena
and the existence of "Siddhas" do not rest upon our
unverified assertions. Those who have seen things have perhaps
been allowed to do so on account of some personal merit detected
by those who showed them the siddhis, or for other reasons known
to themselves and over which we have no control.

For thousands of years these things have, whether rightly or wrongly,
been guarded as sacred mysteries, and Asiatics at least need not
be reminded that often even after months or years of the most
faithful and assiduous personal service, the disciples of a Yogi
have not been shown "miracles" or endowed with powers.
What folly, therefore, to imagine that by entering any society
one might make a short cut to adeptship! The weary traveller along
a strange road is grateful even to find a guide-post that shows
him his way to his place of destination. Our Society, if it does
naught else, performs this kindly office for the searcher after truth. And it is much.

Before closing, one word must be said in correction of an unfortunate
impression that has got abroad. Because our pamphlet of Rules
mentions a relationship between our Society and certain proficients
in Occult Science, or "Mahatmas " many persons fancy
that these great men are personally engaged in the practical direction
of its affairs; and that, in such a case, being primarily responsible
for the several mistakes that have occurred in the admission of
unworthy members and in other matters, they can neither be so
wise, so prudent, or so far-seeing as is claimed for them. It
is also imagined that the President and Corresponding Secretary
(especially the latter) are, if not actually Yogis and Mahatmas
themselves, at least persons of ascetic habits, who assume superior
moral excellence. Neither of these suppositions is correct, and
both are positively absurd. The administration of the Society
is, unless in exceptionally important crises, left to the recognized
officials, and they are wholly responsible for all the errors
that are made. Many may doubtless have been made, and our management
may be very faulty, but the wonder is that no more have occurred,
if the multiplicity of duties necessarily imposed upon the two
chief officers and the world-wide range of activity be taken into
account. Colonel Olcott and Madame Blavatsky do not pretend to
ascetism, nor would it be possible for them to practise it while
in the thick of the struggle to win a permanent foothold for the
Society in the face of every possible obstacle that a selfish,
sensuality-loving world puts in the way. What either of them has
heretofore been, or either or both may in the future become, is
quite a different affair. At present they only claim to be trying
honestly and earnestly, so far as their natural infirmities of
character permit, to enforce by example and precept the ideas
which are embodied in the platform and Rules of the Theosophical
Society. Once or twice ill-wishers have publicly taunted us with
not having given practical proofs of our alleged affection for
India. Our final vindication must be left to posterity, which
always renders that justice that the present too often denies.
But even now  if we may judge by the tone of our correspondence,
as well as by the enthusiasm which has everywhere greeted us in
the course of our journeyings  a palpably good effect has been
produced by our appeals to the educated Indian public. The moral
regeneration of India and the revival of her ancient spiritual
glories must exclusively be the work of her own sons. All
we can do is to apply the match to the train, to fan the smouldering
embers into a genial warmth. And this we are trying to do. One
step in the right direction, it will doubtless be conceded, is
the alliance effected with the Benares pandits and attested in
the subjoined document:

[Here are printed the Articles of the Union formed by the T. S.
and the Sanskrit Sabha of Benares, agreeing to cooperation and
brotherly union between the two societies, in the interests of
the promotion of Sanskrit Literature and Vedic Philosophy and
Science; the agreement being signed by the officers and members
of the Benares Samaj, and by Col. Olcott as President of
the Theosophical Society. H.P.B.'s concluding comment follows:

These custodians of Sanskrit learning have promised to put in
writing the precious treasures of Aryan philosophy, and to cooperate
with us to give the facts a worldwide circulation.

The London Spiritualist remarked, the other day, that we
were doing much for Spiritualism in India. It might rather be
said we are doing much to make known the importance of mesmeric
science, for wherever we have been we have spared no pains to
show the close and intimate relationship that exists between our
modern discoveries in mesmerism, psychometry, and odic force,
and the ancient Indian science of Yoga Vidya. We look forward
with confidence to a day when the thorough demonstration of this
connection will give to both Asia and Europe the basis for a perfect,
because experimentally demonstrable, science of Psychology.

Theosophist, January, 1881
H. P. Blavatsky

1 Secret letters by former members denouncing its
Founders, sent
to Paris and other Theosophists and pretending that the Bombay
Society was virtually extinct (its best members having
resigned), were sent back to us with new protestations of friendship
and loyalty and expressions of scorn for the conspirators.-(Ed.
Theos.)back to text